“I feel good, a lot better,” said Pettibone on Sunday morning. “A little tender just being the day after, but I did all my activities like I would normally. I was evaluated today and cleared to go right back.

“I had some lower back pain when I played basketball in high school, but I think this was just a fluke thing that progressed through each swing.”

Pettibone’s next start is slated for Thursday in Los Angeles, and while the injury apparently won’t keep him from making the start, there remains some intrigue over that outing.

Three-time all-star Carlos Zambrano has been pitching on a minor-league deal and has allowed just three earned runs in 28 1/3 innings. He is scheduled to pitch today for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in Columbus.

The Phillies have until July 1 to promote Zambrano to the major league roster or allow him to pitch elsewhere. Zambrano would have to pitch on three-day’s rest to take Pettibone’s spot on Thursday, so the rookie might get at least one more turn in the starting rotation regardless of whether Zambrano shines or flops today.

But after that, nothing is guaranteed.

Overall, Pettibone is 3-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 12 starts. He had struggled in the last two times out before righting himself on Saturday.

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When Pettibone was called up from the minors in April, he wasn’t guaranteed anything past the first start. He’s still here 12 starts later, so he’s had some experience dealing with the pressure of pitching for his job.

“It’s definitely not easy (to not think about the Zambrano situation), but it’s something you have to block out,” said Pettibone. “This last start, I just stayed focused on the task at hand. I kind of went back to the basics almost, pitch to pitch and not trying to get too caught up in the big picture.

“Every start I’ve had my job on the line and it’s my job to keep the job, it’s mine to lose. I’m giving it as much as I can to give the team a chance to win. If I do that each time out, it will take care of itself.”